Undiagnosed Celiac Disease Contributing to Premature Deaths, Says Mayo Clinic Study
July 27, 2009 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis 
Celiac Disease- more commonly known as the gluten allergy making people unable to eat grains such as wheat, rye, and barley- is becoming an increasingly lethal problem in America, according to Dr. Joseph Murray, the Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who led a study published this month in Gastroenterology.
“It now affects about one in every 100 people. Part of the problem is that Celiac Disease symptoms are variable and can be mistaken for other diseases that are more common, such as irritable bowel syndrome.
“Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, there are 30 who have it, but are not diagnosed. Also, given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent Celiac Disease that we have shown in our study, getting more patients and health professionals to consider the possibility of the disease is important,” said Murray.